That time Bob Kane was dissed in a Batman film and you totally missed it.

Yes, Bob Kane was dissed in the 1989 Batman film starring Michael Keaton as the Caped Crusading Dark Knight. Did you miss it?

The Deal

Bob Kane was called a dick. Yes, he absolutely was but, what I'd really love to know is, was this intentional or just merely a coincidence?  Whether or not it was intentional or a coincidence matters not, but it was definitely poetic justice as most hard core Batman fans know that Bob Kane wasn't that great of a guy. A guy that literally robbed Bill Finger, Batman's Co-Creator of cash and credit.  Kane also wasn't liked very much by his peers and was one time slapped by comic book artist Jim Steranko.



The Scene

Alexander Knox played by actor Robert Wuhl enters the press room at the Gotham Globe and he is handed a "Bat-Man" drawing by Bob Kane. Kane was supposed to make a cameo appearance in the film, but scheduling conflicts prevented this so another actor took his place. Still, he was a called a "dick" by Knox after the actor playing Bob Kane's part handed him the drawing. .

The Script 

BOB: Oh, Knox -- I got something for you. 

Bob holds up a drawing of a HUMAN BAT, with an awful, fanged rodent's face, wearing a business suit. The caption reads: "HAVE YOU SEEN THIS MAN?" The REPORTERS CRACK up. Knox, who's used to the ribbing, mumbles. 

KNOX: Very nice, boys. A little more gore on the fangs. (under his breath) What a dick...

And there you have it...

Sam Hamm

Sam Hamm wrote the screenplay for both Batman and Batman Returns. I wonder if anyone has ever asked him if this was an intentional diss toward Kane? If it was its sheer brilliance and something I applaud. If it was intentional was it in the script because of the deal with Bill Finger or was it added later on due to Kane possibly being a jerk to Hamm and this "scheduling conflict" was just Kane being uh, well, a dick. If not? Oh well, it's there anyway. Like I've previously stated... Poetic Justice.

:: UPDATE: 8/14/2019 :::

Sam Hamm responded to me on my Twitter account. 

Here is the dialogue:

@SamuelHamm There are some Batman fans here that want to know? Was the Bob Kane "Diss" in the '89 film intentional? 

Sam: Roy et al--"What a dick" was not my contribution. I suspect it was a Robert Wuhl improvisation. But I will mention that, in my early drafts, the Gotham Gazette cartoonist was known as "Jerry."

Not much more to say about this. Be sure to tune in next time. Same Bat Time...Same Bat Channel!